Sirific Wireless Announces Russell Johnsen as New Chairman and CEO
(Interviews, 11 Jul 2007 )
Sirific Wireless, a fabless provider of single-chip, multi-band HEDGE (HSDPA, WCDMA, EDGE, GPRS, GSM) CMOS RF transceivers for the 3.5G cellular market, has appointed Russell K. Johnsen as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
"Russell's appointment highlights Sirific's new direction for aggressively pursuing the 3.5G cellular communications market in order to deliver cost-effective and form-sensitive solutions that will speed the adoption of 3G technology into the hands of consumers worldwide," said Dr. Tajinder Manku, Sirific founder and Chief Technology Officer. "We are confident that Russ's direction and leadership will successfully transition our organization to the next stage in its evolution as a leader in HEDGE RF transceiver solutions."
Johnsen has served as an independent director on Sirific's board for the past three years and will now focus his attention to leading the company's strategic short- and long-term business strategies. Previously, he managed the cellular wireless and high-speed broadband wireline communications businesses at Analog Devices, where he held the titles Vice President and General Manager of the Communications Product Division, as well as Vice President of Corporate Business Development. Prior to Analog Devices, he was the General Manager of the Wide Area Networks Division for National Semiconductor and co-founded its wireless communications and PLL synthesizer product line.
A graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Johnsen has spent more than thirty years in the semiconductor industry, with positions in operations and general management. He additionally serves on the board of directors of Mercury Computer Systems, as well as other private and non-profit boards.
"I have been a part of the communications industry for many years and see the clear lead that Sirific has in CMOS radio frequency integration for cellular applications," said Johnsen. "I look forward to providing leadership and guiding this talented team as we begin integrating our technology into world-class consumer products."
In addition to new management, Sirific also appointed Ed Healy, CEO of Cubic Wafer, to its Board of Directors. As a highly respected member of the tech community, Healy brings more than seventeen years of communications and wireless semiconductor experience to his advisory role. Prior to Cubic Wafer, he served as vice president and general manager at Silicon Laboratories, where he started the company's wireless business and grew it to over half the company’s total revenue. Prior to his experience at Silicon Labs, Healy was the general manager for the Magnetic Storage Division at Cirrus Logic.
Healy holds a BS in engineering from the United States Military Academy at West Point, an MS in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, an MBA from Santa Clara University and an MS in Management from Stanford University.
"Sirific's advancing leadership position in CMOS technology and the overall potential for the HEDGE communications market makes this an exciting opportunity," said Healy. "I am honored to be part a growing company with such great potential and look forward to helping Sirific dominate the 3.5G RF transceiver market."
